Church hopping, shopping, or floating

What is Church hopping?

Some may call it Church shopping instead of Church hopping. Some may call them Church Floaters.

Church Hopping comic from someecards

I would say that is where you go from one church to another church trying to find the church home for you. Most people have things that they want to get out of church for themselves or their families.

Some people do it to get stuff from the church. Like some people just go to to church to beg for items. You will see them make a complete circle around to different area churches and go until the church cannot help them anymore, etc.

Some people do it because they felt convicted at one church so they try to find a church that will make them feel better about their sins. The fact with that is the person knows they need to change, but like living in the darkness where their sin isn’t exposed.

Some people try to find a church without hypocrites in it. Well, I don’t want to bare bad news, but every church has hypocrites in it. Just think, we as Christians are hypocrites, we tell others to not do something but yet we do it ourself or something different.

If a person was out of church for awhile, they may try to feel the Holy Spirit trying to get them back in church, but they still may compare their old church with this new church. Or maybe if you move from one location to another location, you may compare the two churches.

Some just want to be fed and not serve. They do not want to give back what Christ gave them.

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

C.S. Lewis Quote

“If a man can’t be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that ‘suits’ him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches.”

Remember this well established rule: Church hoppers who hop your way and gush praise all over you (while criticizing their former church) will soon leave your Church with the same critical attitude.

Feedback from a friend …

Sometimes you have to move for growth but to just go from church to church doesn’t help anyone. It’s not growing the kingdom And actually if you’re doing that and bashing churches you leave in your wake then there’s a possibility you’re discouraging someone else from going to one of them that needs to go. Make any sense?

The church I grew up in was terrible with people doing that. And when they’d come back they’d try to act like nothing had happened and they actually try and sabotage the church.

Testimony of Stacy Carty …

I grew up as a Catholic. Our church as a very old Roman Catholic church and the services were held in Latin. We didn’t go often. Kind of just when the fancy struck. When my parents got divorced when I was ten we were asked to leave the church. So we left and never looked back, never looked back to any church.When my son was 4 his great grandfather on his fathers side begged us to get him baptized. But not only baptized, he wanted him to be baptized as a Catholic. I agreed since I didn’t care since we didn’t go to church. I started my search for a Catholic church. I was not only turned away but I was called every name a girl could be called for being a single mother and giving birth out of wedlock. 14 Fathers, 14 Catholic churches shunned me in every way they could and I spent countless hours in tears. I was a 22 year old single mom being called a slut but these men that were supposed to be there and counsel and accept us as we were. The man that was going to be my son’s GodFather hear of the difficulties I was having he called his home church, the first one to call me a whore and made a very large donation in my sons name. It was then they agreed to baptize him but a Priest wouldn’t be able to because of what I was it would have to be a deacon.

I felt the tug of my heart to draw closer to God and a few times we would go back to that church but never did I fell comfortable. I never really made a strong effort.Then when we moved here seven years ago I replied to a help wanted ad on Craigslist. It was for a part time bookkeeper, at Harvest Christian Fellowship. I went and met with the Pastor and was invited to services the following Sunday. My son and I walked in those doors that Sunday and I immediately knew I was home. I have no words to explain what it was like, all I can say is that it was certainly a God thing. We started going to church and really immersing myself in His word. Shortly after that I gave myself to the Lord and not long after that so did my son. Never once did I ever entertain the idea of going to another church, Harvest is truly our home.And on a side note, I did get the job and I was the church bookkeeper for two plus years.

Some thoughts …

Best to find a church that the preacher preaches from the Bible, the whole Bible, not parts of the Bible or picks and chooses, but the whole entire Bible. Old and New Testament. A preacher that isn’t afraid to preach it. One that will preach on Heaven and Hell.

That conviction you are feeling, is more likely the Holy Spirit telling you that you need to change and stop doing that, but we as humans like to feel we are okay with our sin. We often feel that we have a “license to sin.” Put it this way, if Jesus was to come today, would you want him to come doing that “sin” you always are drawn to?

Are you going to church to be entertained or hear the Word of God? Today churches put more emphasis on entertainment, like the music and such than on the Word of God.

Some churches will preach what you want to hear, instead of What God wants you to hear. You should go to church with an open heart each time. More than likely you should feel some type of conviction each time. If you feel too comfortable, you may want to examine why.

Remember the people make the church, not the building.

These people that we see hopping from one church to the other church we seriously need to pray for them, make them feel welcome at church and show God’s love to them. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them to the church where they will become part of the Body of Christ.

Some people may be going around from churches because they are not accepted because of their past sins. Christ forgives ALL our sins. Only sin that is not forgiven is Rejecting Christ.

Response time

So share with me your thoughts and ideas. I would like to hear from you.

Sharing is Caring! Please Share!

Like this:

Related

My name is Steve Patterson and I am saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. I have been blogging at Courageous Christian Father since 2012, however, I have been blogging since around 2004. At church I help with the youth, van ministry, ushering or wherever else needed. Currently, I am working on my bachelors of theology. I am a father of an adult child. I work as a graphic designer. I also love listening to nothing but Christian Music. I am an Eagle Scout class of 1994. Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle.

There are other legit reasons to leave. Often times when a new pastor comes in, people leave. Not always because they don’t like change but because the change may not be biblically solid. One pastor said from the pulpit that if we were abused as children, we deserved it. We left. That’s not the kind of message I can handle hearing after being abused as an innocent 4 yr old. Anyway, I totally agree with church hopping for those who are doing it to get stuff. It is very hard to find a church home sometimes where you fit in and so does the family. When our children were all crying because they no longer wanted to go to our church after they had loved it for years, we took notice of that. It was NOT an easy decision. We left people we loved and we lost friends too because some folks are under the impression that it’s a rejection of them instead of circumstances.